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Dr Rafal Zaborowski

Lecturer in Digital Culture

Research interests

  • Digital

Biography

In my research I look at the intersections of media audiences, texts and producers, focusing especially on the role played by media in people's everyday lives. More specifically, I am interested how social practices of listening and engagements with music and sound correspond to changes in modern digital cultures.

I am also interested in the issues of voice, power and representation in and through media. My work in this area has focused on media framing of crisis and migration as well as new on new digital forms of communication on news platforms.

I hold a PhD in Media and Communications from the London School of Economics and Political Science, an MA in Media and Cultural Studies from Tohoku University, and a BA in Sociology from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan. Prior to joining King’s I taught in the Department of Media and Communications at the LSE.

Research interests and PhD supervision

  • Media audiences; participation and interpretation
  • Representation, crisis, migration, refugee studies
  • Popular music, sound and image
  • East Asian popular culture
  • Tickers/crawls and digital news platforms

For more details, please see my full research profile.

Expertise and public engagement 

I have served as an expert on the mediation of the “refugee crisis” and migration more broadly for numerous European bodies, including the Council of Europe, European Economic and Social Committee and the EU Directorate-General. I frequently discuss issues of media representation, democracy and participation in public and private international media. The various pronunciations of my name are always a thrill.

    Research

    CDC header
    Centre for Digital Culture

    The Centre for Digital Culture at King’s College London is an interdisciplinary research centre promoting research and debate on digital culture

    2022-23_kindpng_4588393-color
    Global Digital Cultures Research Group

    do local practices of engagement with the digital circulate regionally and around the world, and how do they change during their travels? These are some of the questions that we ask in the Global Digital Cultures Research Group, approaching them from different disciplinary and methodological traditions, and focusing on different countries and regions, but also on global phenomena and their local articulations.

    News

    New book explores contemporary music audiences in Japan

    In the new book, Dr Rafal Zaborowski investigates the relationship between music, generation and society in Japan.

    Music Generations in the Digital Age book cover fragment showing a person wearing headphones against pink background

    Events

    17JanMusic Generations

    Music Generations in the Digital Age: Book Launch

    Please join us for the launch of the book "Music Generations in the Digital Age: Social Practices of Listening and Idols in Japan" by Rafal Zaborowski.

    Please note: this event has passed.

    19OctGlobe

    #GoingGlobal: Studying Global Digital Cultures in non-Western contexts

    By drawing connections and comparisons between our different topics and geographies of study, the participants will offer insights into politics and...

    Please note: this event has passed.

      Research

      CDC header
      Centre for Digital Culture

      The Centre for Digital Culture at King’s College London is an interdisciplinary research centre promoting research and debate on digital culture

      2022-23_kindpng_4588393-color
      Global Digital Cultures Research Group

      do local practices of engagement with the digital circulate regionally and around the world, and how do they change during their travels? These are some of the questions that we ask in the Global Digital Cultures Research Group, approaching them from different disciplinary and methodological traditions, and focusing on different countries and regions, but also on global phenomena and their local articulations.

      News

      New book explores contemporary music audiences in Japan

      In the new book, Dr Rafal Zaborowski investigates the relationship between music, generation and society in Japan.

      Music Generations in the Digital Age book cover fragment showing a person wearing headphones against pink background

      Events

      17JanMusic Generations

      Music Generations in the Digital Age: Book Launch

      Please join us for the launch of the book "Music Generations in the Digital Age: Social Practices of Listening and Idols in Japan" by Rafal Zaborowski.

      Please note: this event has passed.

      19OctGlobe

      #GoingGlobal: Studying Global Digital Cultures in non-Western contexts

      By drawing connections and comparisons between our different topics and geographies of study, the participants will offer insights into politics and...

      Please note: this event has passed.